Madison Burgess
Labubu dolls have soared in popularity throughout the world in the past few months, hanging from the handbags of celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Dua Lipa.
For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, they are little furry little monsters that come on a keychain in a variety of colours and variations.
One of the biggest appeals of the collectibles is the ‘blind box’ format - this simply means that when you buy one, you won’t know which colour or style you’re going to get, which of course adds to the excitement.
And they’re so popular right now it would actually be quite the mission to get your hands on one, with PopMart in the UK even temporarily pulling them from the shelves due to safety concerns surrounding the high demand.
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However, a dark and slightly bizarre conspiracy theory has emerged online about the trinkets - and it’s a wild one, so prepare yourself.
In recent weeks on social media, Labubus have been compared to a demon from ancient Mesopotamian mythology known as ‘Pazuzu’ and people are even going as far as confirming the dolls carry ‘demonic energy’.
Yep, you read that right.
Pazuzu is often depicted as having a lion-like face, bird talons and wings, and the demonic entity even featured in 1973 horror movie The Exorcist. The wild online frenzy began on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) where users have compared the features of a Labubu to those of the mythical figure.
We know Labubus aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and they do look slightly creepy with their sharp teeth and wide grin, however, this is just a bit harsh. The theory has gone so far that some Christians even began urging people to get rid of the dolls.
One X user very dramatically wrote: “Labubu = Pazuzu. Do not invite demons into your home.”
Meanwhile, a second added: “Bruhh I have read somewhere that LABUBU doll is associated with demon PAZUZU an ancient demon of Mesopotamia and Babylon mythology....”
“These are demonic!!”
— Soap’s Spouse (@SoapsSpouse) June 29, 2025
And it’s a Labubu… next to an ai image…
Like they’re making youtube videos, tiktoks, reels, etc about this as if the image on the right is not obviously ai.
Pazuzu does not even look like that. It’s a Mesopotamian god.
Fear mongering is weird. pic.twitter.com/VQhKMCePoN
However, others have rushed to defend the furry dolls, with someone else rightly pointing out: “It’s a Labubu… next to an AI image… Like they’re making YouTube videos, Tiktoks, reels, etc about this as if the image on the right is not obviously AI.
“Pazuzu does not even look like that. It’s a Mesopotamian god. Fear mongering is weird.”
Another added: “I see the Labubu is Pazuzu idiocy has reached X... if you know anything about demonology, then you know that is the dumbest f*****g thing you every heard. Just saying…”
Elsewhere, another baffled Labubu fan took to Reddit to share an odd interaction they faced with their collectible on display.
They wrote: "Today I went to a store with my Labubu on my bag and as I was checking out, one of the workers came up to me and said 'you know those things are really cute, but if you knew what they stood for you’ll no longer want it' and then followed by telling me it was a demon."
They continued: "I’ve seen discourse on Tiktok about Labubus being demonic but never thought people took that serious enough to approach strangers. Just wanted to share because I thought it was weird and was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience?"
Someone quickly shut it down by explaining: "There’s a dumb AI photo of a Labubu next to a “demon” that looks like a Labubu (just ai generated) and a bunch of people think Labubus come from demons.
"Labubus come from the same nordic myth as Where The Wild Things Are, no demons, just mischievous forest dwellers."
But of course, neither Pop Mart nor the designer Kasing Lung has ever linked Labubu to anything of the sort - nothing religious or demonic, so don’t start preparing to throw yours into the bin.
Reports say the Hong-Kong creator was actually influenced by whimsical folklore and Nordic fairy tales that he grew up with.
According to NDTV, the company behind Labubu hasn't publicly addressed the claims but did post a joke 'recall notice’ on April Fools' Day, making light of the wild claims of supernatural activity surrounding the dolls.
Tyla has contacted Kasing Lung and PopMart for comment.